Stop Running and Start Living Again
by HobTheRobot
Summary: ONE-SHOT. Tsunade's life changed years earlier when she and her apprentice met a monster name Alex. Over years his involvment in her life changed her view of the world and the people in it, he of course didn't intend to cause such a change. When Jiraiya and Naruto arrive the Slug Sannin is already prepared to take the position of Godaime Hokage. Idea that wouldn't go away.


**I do NOT own Naruto or Prototype, at all. Not even a little. I do not now, and never will own either series, which is unfortunate in the case of Prototype because I can think of better things to do with the series than throw it in the garbage and forget it.**

**Now, this is, and will remain, a one-shot. One-Shot. Just the one, no second chapter, none at all, ever. If someone sees a potential story here and would like to use my basic idea to build something beyond this One-Shot then please send me message and I would be overjoyed to explain details about the initial idea that prompted this and happy to see someone use this to actually write a story based on the idea.**

**This is a short interaction when Jiraiya and Naruto find Tsunade and Shizune. The past several years of Tsunade's life have been different from canon due to interactions between her and a dimensionally displaced Eldritch Horror going by the name Alex Mercer, so she reacts very differently when asked to come back and be Hokage due to off-screen character development. Alex does not actually appear in the one-shot.**

**Here we go.**

* * *

"Lady Tsunade, isn't that-" Shizune started to speak, drawing the older woman's attention to the door as a white haired man followed by a blonde boy entered the bar. Tsunade cut her off with an exaggerated sigh.

"Maybe I can still make it out the back." The medical genius muttered under her breath.

"Lady Tsunade, if you wanted to avoid this-"

"I know, Shizune. I knew this was coming, I had my chance. Time to stop running away."

Jiraiya, having spotted her, sat down across from her seconds later, Naruto staring suspiciously at the well endowed woman. "Hey, what's a beau-"

"Cut the crap pervert." Tsunade calmly interrupted her former teammate, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms under her chest. "What do you want, Jiraiya?"

Naruto grinned at the pervert comment at the same time as he recognized Tsunade as the woman they were looking for. "HEY! I thought you said this lady was supposed to be the same age as you, Pervy Sage! No way someone that beautiful is really as ancient as you!"

"I told you not to call me that!" Jiraiya shouted, standing up to glare down at the boy. "And what do you mean 'ancient'!"

"Do you two need a moment alone?" Tsunade asked, drawing the pairs attention back to her.

Jiraiya punched the top of Naruto's head, forcing him down into the chair opposite Shizune. "Ah, sorry about that princess. The little brat still hasn't learned how to show respect to his elders and-"

"Isn't elders selling it short Pervy Sage? I mean, shouldn't an old fossil like you be on display somewhere?" Naruto smirked, pushing Jiraiya's hand off his head.

"Why you-" The Toad Sage started pulling the younger ninja's hair and stretching his face while Naruto continued to mock him.

"Alright you morons!" Tsunade shouted, slamming her open palms down on the table as she stood. The table cracked and crumbled as the future Hokage rose to her feet. "If you don't quit screwing around and get to the point of this visit I'm leaving."

Jiraiya released Naruto and snapped back to attention, straightening his clothes out and coughing into his hand. "Ahem, right. Now, Tsunade, I have some bad news. The-"

"Village was attacked and sensei is dead." Tsunade finished for him, sighing as she said it. "I know, so why come looking for me? Not even I can bring the dead back to life, Jiraiya."

"How did you-?"

"I have sources, some people collect information faster than-"

"You collect gambling debts?" Jiraiya continued to grin and chuckle right up until his head met the back wall of the establishment.

"Whoa! That was awesome!" Naruto shouted, referring to the sequence of moves that had sent his teacher soaring across the room. He spared a glance to make sure Jiraiya was still breathing before turning his attention back to Tsunade. "I could barely seen any of that! You have to teach me how to do that!"

"And you are?" Tsunade asked, raising an eyebrow. She already knew exactly who the boy was, anyone familiar with his father should be able to see it.

"Heh!" Naruto smirked. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Future Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village!"

Tsunade sighed, remembering three others who had made similarly enthusiastic declarations about reaching that position. Jiraiya, having returned from his emergency meeting with the local architecture, expected Naruto's exuberant boast to anger his former teammate and nearly clocked the boy over the head; he froze when Tsunade genuinely chuckled.

"Really? Tell me, why would you want to be Hokage?" An amused grin found it's way onto Tsunade's face as she addressed the orange clad genin.

"So that the whole village will have to respect me!" Naruto shouted happily. His smile vanished and a serious expression replaced it a split second later before he continued. "But more importantly, so I can protect the village and everyone who's precious to me, just like the old man did."

Tsunade smiled sadly, surprising Jiraiya and Naruto when she placed a hand on the boys head and ruffled his hair. "So, that would make you the sixth Hokage someday. Alright then, you better live up to that brat."

"Huh?" Naruto just blinked and stared.

"Tsunade? What's-" Jiraiya shut his mouth when his fellow legend turned a serious expression on him.

"You're here to ask me to come back to the village, and take the position as Hokage, right?"

"Yes! Exactly-but, I thought you'd be against it, honestly."

"I am. But if I don't do it you'll have to be Hokage, I'd never be able to forgive myself if I left Konoha to that fate." Tsunade moved some of the chunks of the destroyed table and pulled a backpack out of the mess, slinging it over her shoulder, Shizune doing the same and retrieving a small pig from it's hiding place under Tsunade's chair. "Let's get going before I come to my senses."

As Tsunade handed a small amount of money to the owner of the establishment to pay for the table, Shizune spoke up. "Lady Tsunade, what about-"

"If he wants to find us he will, don't worry about it."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at the odd exchange but said nothing.

Several minutes later, Naruto was still asking questions as they walked down the road. Jiraiya didn't even bother to take offense when the boy's questions were specifically aimed at causing his former teammate to insult him or reveal embarrassing bits of his history, he was preoccupied trying to figure out what could have changed the woman enough that she would go along with being Hokage without a fight.

He perked up when Naruto asked a question about Tsunade that he was sure would be worth a punch in the face to answer before she had a chance.

"Pervy Sage says you guys are the same age, but you don't look any older than Kurenai, why?"

"Aha! You see Naruto, Tsunade isn't one to age gracefully, she uses a special transformation to pretend she's really young, she actually looks twice her real age!" Jiraiya turned grinning, expecting to find a fist heading for his face, instead he found both Tsunade and Shizune smiling to each other as if sharing a private joke. "What's so funny? Weren't you even-"

"I was listening pervert." Tsunade said, cutting him off before turning to the youngest of the group. "You shouldn't ask women about their age, Naruto. And don't listen to the old pervert, he's just jealous that some of us still look so good while he's a decrepit relic."

Jiraiya didn't forget his curiosity about his teammate's change in behavior, but he chose to continue their usual game of back and forth teasing and insults the rest of the trip back to the Leaf Village.

* * *

**There we go. Basically, Alex(Who did not turn into an Albert Wesker knock-off) got himself transported to a Naruto Universe that is fairly close to Canon several years before the original story starts. Through a series of events he wound up talking to Tsunade and Shizune frequently and in doing so caused Tsunade to change, that was unintentional on his part. Do to them being the only people he's even slightly familiar with in the world, he tends to automatically seek them out now and then and stick around for days at a time.  
**

**Alex is from around forty or so years into the future of the original Prototype Universe, Dana is, regrettably, dead by natural causes(If it was unnatural odds are high there wouldn't be much left of civilization by the time Alex finished his rage and grief induced homicidal rampage) so he has no reason to want to find a way to get back to his universe.**

**I am posting this little bit because it's the only solid thing I can come up with to result from the base idea. As I already said, I would be overjoyed if someone would pick up/adopt/use this idea and if anyone is interested please send me a message and I will explain the idea in greater detail.  
**

**Hob, the easily distracted...**


End file.
